Woman grows hair from gums -rare case
Italy: In whats is being described as an extremely rare case, a 25-year-old woman in Italy had hairs growing out of her gums. The case study, published in the journal Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, described a rare case of oral hirsutism detected in this young woman.
The occurrence of hairs in the oral cavity is an exceedingly rare event, with unknown etiology. A literature review found only 5 cases, most of which described a single hair localized in various sites of the oral cavity.
The woman was previously diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) -- a hormonal disorder which can cause hirsutism, or excessive hair growth in a male-like pattern, including on the face, chest, and back. When the 25-year-old first sought help 10 years ago, tests showed she had abnormally high levels of testosterone.
However, six years later, the woman's hairy mouth worsened after she came off her PCOS medication. Extraoral facial examination revealed the presence of exuberant hair on the chin and neck regions. Intraoral examination showed some brown hair, similar to eyelashes, which were removed and the underlying tissue histologically analyzed.
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